With the Shanghai International Film Festival now underway, various events are being held to promote the understanding of films and culture from different countries. Reforms in the Chinese movie industry have entered a new era over the past decade and one of the key issues is building the right level of cooperation to develop a diversified sector. Another matter is the expansion of the Chinese film market, both at home and abroad.

Well-known Chinese film industry insiders, academics and movie investors from China and abroad began gathering to exchange their views and promote new ideas at the Jin Jue International Film Forum, Sunday. The forum has three major themes: "Chinese film development", "New Trends in Asia" and "International Communication". It provides a good chance for all of the experts in the business to exchange ideas.

Wang Jiayan, manager of the Shanghai Film Art Center, said: "The Shanghai International Film Festival provides a stage for promoting Chinese films to the world. This will help strengthen the understanding of films and cultures from different countries."

This year, the Shanghai International Film Festival established the very first Asian New Talent Award, aimed to encourage and reward new Asian film makers. The Chinese mainland-Hong Kong co-production To Live, To Love, is a good example of a cooperative effort which can produce rich results.

Sunday evening, film academies from five Nordic countries were able to share their successful experiences producing films in Shanghai.

But there are many who don't want to see the Chinese film industry captured by international capital. Box office receipts are not the first preoccupation of the Chinese directors. It seems that the new generation of Chinese directors want, first and foremost, to maintain their creative, and cultural, integrity.

(CCTV.com June 9, 2004)